Methods for assembling piece goods into a specified format and aligning them are already known from prior art. DE 32 19 015 A1, for instance, discloses a device for loading pallets. The device comprises a feed track for piece goods and a bearing element, where said bearing element passes over the pallets after receiving the piece goods and then, after propping them up by means of a transferable counterholder, deposits them by retreating in relation to said counterholder. This known device allows piece goods to be deposited in a specified placing position on pallets, but it does not make provisions for the further transport of containers after deflecting them while simultaneously aligning them.
In some applications, however, it is desirable to combine a deflection of articles, containers, or piece goods along a transport route with a one-sided alignment, so that the deflected goods are aligned flush on one side after deflection and prior to their further transport in a different direction, as this can be important for following transport and/or handling processes.
Such a desire for aligning the conveyed goods together with deflecting them may arise in particular during the phase of breaking up pallet layers when it comes to handling cuboid-shaped conveyed goods that were previously deposited and/or stacked with different orientations, so that after transfer to a means of conveyance such differently oriented goods will come to be transported side by side. As a consequence, any initially existing order of the conveyed goods will be broken up after the goods are deflected to a further means of conveyance, potentially resulting in problems during the following handling of the conveyed goods, for instance jam-ups due to unevenly spaced, irregular rows and/or goods being displaced more or less to the sides but having to be conveyed consecutively.